The Dead are Raised
Super Natural is a sermon series on the miraculous works of Jesus in the Bible. The Dead are Raised — What is our hope in life and death? The dead are raised by the word of Jesus. His power is accessed by faith and works itself out through the whole of the Christian life. Recorded on May 9, 2021, on Mark 5:21-43, by Pastor David Parks.
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Sermon Transcript
All year, we’re focusing on the Person and Work of Jesus. And today, we’re continuing a series called Super Natural. Everywhere Jesus went, he did three things: he preached about the kingdom of God, he called men/women to follow him as his disciples, and he did miracles. In Matthew 11, When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” Jesus expected the works to authenticate his words, to prove that he was who he claimed to be. But also, these works serve as living parables that teach us about the character of God and his desire for us, his people. So today, we’re considering the statement, “the dead are raised.” What does that mean? Well, if you have a Bible/app, please open it to Mark 5:21.
Mark 5:21-43, “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. 30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” 31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” 35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.”
So, as I said last week, Mark’s gospel was written by John Mark in the mid-60’s AD. Mark was an assistant to the Apostle Paul and Peter and here, we have Jesus doing a two-for-one miracle, healing a woman and raising a girl from the dead. Let’s start back with v. 21 and work our way through this text.
Mark 5:21-24, “When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.” So Jesus is traveling across the Sea of Galilee and when he arrives, a large crowd gathers around him. Then Jairus runs up, falls at Jesus’ feet and pleads with him on behalf of his daughter. We don’t know what is wrong, but we know that she is dying. Put yourself in Jairus’ shoes. Feel the desperation. Think of what you would be willing to do if there was a chance that your daughter might be healed. And Jesus seems to be willing to help! Even with the large crowd following and, as Mark says, pressing around him, he starts to go with Jairus. Let’s continue. v. 25.
Mark 5:25-29, “And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.” This is amazing. While Jesus is headed to Jairus’ house, a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years touches Jesus’ cloak and was healed. This is the power of Jesus. This is the capacity of Jesus for healing and life. Immediately, Mark often says, her bleeding stopped and she knew she was healed, freed from her suffering. Now, this woman’s suffering would’ve been both physical and suffering as her bleeding would’ve rendered her ceremonially unclean. She wouldn’t have been able to go to the temple with others until the bleeding had stopped and there were extra regulations around what she could and couldn’t do. But instantly, all that was done. She was healed and free. v.30.
Mark 5:30-34, “At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Now this is curious. Does Jesus really not know who touched him? In his divinity, Jesus surely would’ve known, but in his humanity, did he not know? Or was it that he wanted her to go public with her faith, as it were, to come forward and make her reliance on Jesus for healing and life something that people could see? The text isn’t clear. But what is clear is that Jesus was the source of healing and it was faith in him that gave her access to his power. “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” This is amazing. Only God could have this kind of power. But wait. Jesus is wasting time! Jairus’ daughter is dying and Jesus is stuck in the crowd. Let’s keep going. v. 35.
Mark 5:35-39, “While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” So in the time it took for Jesus to heal the woman in the crowd, Jairus’ daughter had died. But Jesus wasn’t disappointed. He didn’t give up hope. He didn’t turn around that day in despair. He called for faith once again. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” Don’t be afraid, of what? Of death! Don’t be afraid of death, our great enemy. The assured end of all people, rich or poor, young or old, religious or non-religious. The great elephant in the room of our modern-day culture. We’ll talk about anything but death. But what would Jesus do? He could heal the sick, could he really raise the dead?? As Jesus went to the house, he took a smaller number of his disciples. He didn’t bring the crowd with him for this, probably because is was such a sensitive situation. A family in mourning. A father who would do anything. For Jesus, his three closest disciples were Peter, James, and John. They were with him for everything and they were witnesses of what took place that day. When they arrive at the home, the people are mourning in the typical way of their time/place: crying and wailing loudly. Jesus goes in and asks why there is such a commotion, saying, “The child is not dead but asleep.” Excuse me, but what? How could he say this? Look at v. 40.
Mark 5:40-43, “But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.” For me, this is especially personal because my daughter, Lia, is twelve years old; Jairus’ daughter is Lia. So Jesus goes in with her mom and dad and the three disciples, took the girl by the hand, and at his word/command, immediately, the girl was alive once again. Both the family’s mourning and their astonishment reveal that they truly believed the girl to be dead, but she is alive again! Their weeping and mourning were turned to joy and dancing. A great tragedy, the tragedy of a girl of only twelve years old having died, was reversed. Think of what her mom and dad must’ve felt. Think of what Peter, James, and John would’ve been thinking. Who is this man who has such power over illness, disease, and even life and death? Is this God in the flesh? Is this the Author of life? That was the claim of Jesus and that was the conclusion of the disciples of Jesus. In fact, this has been the claim of Christianity ever since. Jesus was the Son of God sent from heaven. He was fully man but he was also fully God. This is why he could say/do things that only God could say/do. And what is needed from us? Only faith in him. Death is not much of an obstacle for the One who is the source of all life. But what does this mean for us? How do we apply this teaching to our lives today in following the way of Jesus? I just have one thought as we close our time together which is this:
The dead are raised by the word of Jesus. This is true in 4 different dimensions/ways: in healing, conversion, discipleship, and in the resurrection of the dead. First, in healing. This is what we observed in our text for today. At the voice of Jesus, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”), the little girl got up. She was raised to life, not by medicine or by CPR, but simply by the voice of Jesus. This is Jesus. This is the power of Jesus. Whether it was this little girl or later, at the tomb of his friend, Lazarus, Jesus demonstrated authority over even death. Death is obedient to the command of Christ. The dead are raised by the word of Jesus in healing. We see that clearly in the Scriptures.
Second, the dead are raised by the word of Jesus in conversion. Physical death is a picture of our spiritual condition apart from Christ. The Apostle Paul describes our spiritual condition before conversion as being dead in our trespasses and sins. Jesus told Nicodemus that no one would see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again, meaning spiritual birth and life. Twice in our text today, Jesus pointed to the role of faith to access the power of healing and life. To become a Christian is to put your faith in Jesus. And this only happens when you recognize in the gospel the truth about who Jesus is. As Paul wrote to the Romans, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” As a church, we get to participate in this ministry of raising the dead when we preach the gospel and when men and women hear and believe. Those who were spiritually dead are made alive in Christ, they are born again. So the dead are raised by the word of Jesus in conversion.
Third, in discipleship, in our life of following the way of Jesus. We are called in Christ to follow him. That means through many dangers, toils, and snares as the old hymn says. Jesus taught us that, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” The cross is a symbol of death. Our life must be given up, our path is one of humility and self-denial. The path to greatness in the Kingdom of God is counterintuitively to give up your life rather than to make much of your life. However. In Jesus, we see one who was willing to humble himself lower than anyone else. The Son of God sent from heaven, God himself, became a human being? And died? And died on a cross?? But it was because of his willingness to humble himself and die that God raised him and exalted him up to the highest place. The dead are raised by the word of Jesus in discipleship as well. Humble yourself under God’s mighty hand and he will raise you up as well.
Fourth, and finally, the dead are raised by the word of Jesus at the resurrection of the dead. On that great and glorious day, Jesus will return, the dead will be raised and everyone will give an account of their lives to him. Do not make the mistake of thinking that there is no hope beyond death. Do not make the mistake of thinking that this life is all that there is. In the word of Jesus, there is power/healing/redemption/life. Turn to him. Trust in him. He is the only one who was willing to lay down his life so that we might gain life, and have it to the full. He is the only one who claims authority over death because he died and rose again himself. The Author of life has met, fought, and won the victory over death and grave forever and ever. Amen.